Slow and Steady
by Just a Little Spark
Summary: What do you do when you realize that the one for you is the one your brother left behind? (AU based on when JK said she intended for Ron to die, and Fred and Hermione to end up together.)
1. Chapter 1

"IF WE DIE FOR THEM, I'LL KILL YOU, HARRY!" roared Ron's voice, and, as a great flaming chimaera bore down upon them, he and Hermione dragged Goyle onto their broom and rose up into the air. Malfoy clambered up behind Harry.

"The door, get to the door, the door!" Malfoy practically screeched in Harry's ear, and Harry sped up, his broom neatly swerving through the towers of lost items and the billowing black smoke. Something caught Harry's eyes; a twinkling necklace, and a tiara...

"_What are you doing, what are you doing, the door's that way!_" Malfoy screamed, but Harry was having nothing of it as he swept down and dived into the smoke, reaching blindly for the diadem. Feeling its strangely light, tattered form around his wrist, he turned around, only to face another flaming beast, this time, a serpent. Malfoy would just not shut up as Harry swerved and turned around, this time, for sure, heading towards the door. Suddenly finding a rectangular patch on the wall, he steered the broom towards it, and moments later he and Malfoy were straight out of the Room of Requirement, the door vanishing behind them.

The moment they had landed, Malfoy just fell off the broom and lay down on the floor, panting. Harry did the same, knowing that that was quite possibly the most intense broom ride of his life; he wasn't keen on doing that again.

"C-Crabbe... C-Crabbe..."

"He's dead," Ron replied, and Harry couldn't help but think that it was a bit harsh. On the other hand, the reason why they were all so traumatized was because of Crabbe, anyway... He felt a pang of loss; the Room of Requirement had been their sanctuary since their 5th year, it was like a second home within a second home. Speaking of the Room of Requirement...

"Where's Ginny?" Harry said sharply. "She... She was here. She was supposed to be going back into the Room of Requirement-"

Ron stared blankly back at Harry. "Blimey, d'you reckon it'll still work after that fire?" Ron asked. "Shall we split up and look-"

"No," Hermione replied, getting up to her feet and dusting the soot off of her clothes. She spared a glance towards Malfoy and Goyle, who were just uselessly slumped on the corridor floor. "Let's stick together," she said. "I say we go - Harry, what's that on your arm?"

"What? Oh yeah-" Harry pulled the diadem from his wrist and held it up. The warmth from the fire was still evident, and it was practically blackened with soot, but he could still make out the words on it: _Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure_.

It was then that he noticed a bloodlike substance, dark and tarry, which seemed to be leaking from the diadem. It vibrated suddenly, and broke apart in his hands, and as it did so, Harry thought he could hear the most distant scream of pain, echoing not from the grounds or the castle, but from the thing that had just fragmented in his fingers.

Hermione's whisper brought them all back to the present. "It must have been Fiendfyre!" she exclaimed, her eyes shining.

"Sorry?"

"Fiendfyre - cursed fire - it's one of the substances that destroy Horcruxes, but I would never, ever have dared to use it, it's so dangerous - how did Crabbe know how to - ?"

A thought came to Harry. "Must've learned it from the Carrows," Harry said.

"Shame he wasn't concentrating when they mentioned how to stop it, really," Ron said, whose whose hair, like Hermione's was singed, and whose face was blackened. "If he hadn't tried to kill us all, I'd be quite sorry he was dead."

"But don't you realize?" Hermione whispered. "This means... If we can just get to the snake - "

She broke off as yells and shouts and the unmistakable noises of dueling filled the corridor. Harry looked around and his heart seemed to fail; Death Eaters had penetrated Hogwarts. Fred and Percy had just backed into view, both of them dueling masked and hooded men.

Ron immediately surged forward to help his brothers. "Ron!" Hermione cried out, her eyes pained. Ron only hesitated for a second, before plunging even further into this midst of Death Eaters, firing Stunning spells and whatever spell he could think of.

"He'll be okay," Harry said, grabbing Hermione's forearm. She nodded grimly, and they did their own work as they fought their way through the Death Eaters. Jets of light flew in every direction and the man dueling Percy backed off fast. By this time, Ron was next to his brothers; it was three against one.

The Death Eater the brothers had been dueling's hood fell off, and they saw a high forehead and streaked hair -

"Hello, Minister!" bellowed Percy, sending a neat jinx straight at Thicknesse, who dropped his wand and clawed at the front of his robes, apparently in awful discomfort. "Did I mention I'm resigning?"

Both Ron and Fred let out an unbelievable laugh. "You're joking, Perce!" Fred shouted as the Death Eater he was battling collapsed under the weight of three separate Stunning Spells. Thicknesse had fallen to the ground with tiny spikes erupting all over him; he seemed to be turning into some form of sea urchin. Fred looked at Ron; the two still couldn't quite believe that their brother was actually _joking_ for the first time in... They didn't even know how many years.

"You actually _are _joking, Perce..." Fred said, slowly shaking his head with a smile on his face.

"Yeah, I don't think I've heard you joke since you were-" The air exploded, cutting off Ron's sentence. They had been grouped together, Harry, Ron, Hermione, red and Percy, the two Death Eaters at their feet, one Stunned, the other Transfigured; and in that fragment of a moment, when danger seemed temporarily at bay, and when they all thought they could actually be safe, the world was rent apart.

Harry felt himself flying through the air, his thoughts muddling about in his brain. _An explosion? How could it be possible? Bombs?_ And of course, the instinct to hold on as tight as possible to the stick of wood that was his only weapon here, and protect his head from any debris. He finally landed, hearing the screams and yells of his companions. He didn't know what happened. He didn't know if anyone had been spared.

Harry tried to move his head, and the world suddenly resolved itself into pain and semidarkness. He was half buried in the wreckage of a corridor that had been subjected to a terrible attack. Cold air told him that the side of the castle they had been dueling on had been blown away, and the hot stickiness that he could feel on the side of his face told him that he was bleeding.

Then Harry heard a terrible cry; a cry that was all agony and loss. And he felt it too, strangely. He knew that something horrible had happened; something unspeakable and terrible had occurred, and it was done. "Oh, no," was all Harry could say under his breath, and he felt, for the first time that day, terrified. More frightened, perhaps, than he had ever been in his life.

He saw Hermione stand to her feet, and he could see it in her eyes that she felt it too. "Her-" he started to call out, then stopped, when he saw the three redheaded men grouped on the ground where the wall had blasted apart. Harry's blood ran cold, and Hermione rushed over to the group, before Harry did.

"No! No - NO!" someone was shouting, agony with every word. "NO!"

And Percy was shaking his brother, and Fred was kneeling beside them, and Ron's eyes stared without seeing, the ghost of his last smile still etched upon his face.

"_RON_!" Hermione screamed, falling to her knees.

(*)

_**Wow. What a way to start a story, huh? Any way, let me just introduce myself... Hi, my name is Kait, and this is my first time posting a Harry Potter fanfiction here on . I was inspired when JK Rowling said somewhere that she almost killed off Ron, and Fred and Hermione would end up together. Being a huge Fremione shipper, I went for it. **_

_**This story is to be a multi-chapter one, closely following the last events of The Deathly Hallows, which is why most of the words seemed familiar; I used the exact same dialogue from the book, adding a few thoughts of my own to the original narration of our queen, JK Rowling. But this is the last time I'll do so... I wanted to use as much of the original dialogue as possible so it would at least seem a bit more realistic and heart-wrenching, and also familiar to the readers.**_

_**Disclaimer then, I don't own JK Rowling's wonderful work; I just own the ideas.**_

_**I don't know if I'm the first to try this kind of plot... That being said, leave your thoughts through reviews! I accept constructive criticism, just please, don't flame me. :) Thanks for stopping by! **_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hello. I would just like to apologize for any grammar errors, especially with words that have the letter 'f' in them. My 'f' key is being problematic, and I usually don't notice that I'm missing any 'f's until it's pointed out to me.  
**_

_**I am also re-checking the last chapter, since it appears there are missing 'f's in there, too. So, once again, I apologize. **_

(*)

The world had just ended. Why had the battle not ceased; the castle fallen silent in horror, and every combatant laid down their arms? Harry's mind was in free fall, spinning out of control. He barely heard Hermione and her horrified screams as he stumbled blindly, unable to comprehend the fact that Ron...

No, it was impossible.

And then a body fell past the hole blown into the side o the school, and curses flew in at them from the darkness, hitting the wall behind their heads. "DUCK!" Harry cried out, and ran over towards Hermione, Percy and Fred, who were still huddled over the body.

Percy had both of his hands on Ron's shoulders, still trying to wake him up. Hermione was frozen, her hands over her mouth, and her shoulders shook as she choked out dry sobs. "R-Ron, n-no..." she stuttered out. Fred was next to her, kneeling on the floor as she shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself; oh, nothing hurt more than this... She'd die now if she could-

"Fred, Percy, we have to go, I'm serious," Harry said. "Hermione, come on," he said, reaching out for her even as red and green jets of light streamed past their heads.

"No," Hermione cried out miserably, as Percy shook his head and brought Ron's body closer to him. "RON!" she screamed out, falling on her knees. Harry's heart wrenched. Seeing Hermione in this state, only able to formulate two words, made his heart hurt even more than it ever had.

"We have to, we'll die-"

"Then let me _die_!" Hermione cried out.

"Fred, help me, please," Harry begged Fred, who seemed like the only one who hadn't burst into tears, although the look that one acquired after losing someone so close to his heart was clear on his face. Noticing that the Death Eaters were coming closer, Harry, with a cry of frustration, reached for Ron's body and pulled it up by the armpits.

Percy, realizing what he was doing, moved so that he could grab Ron's legs, and help Harry. "We've got to go, NOW!" Harry roared.

Fred saw that Hermione was still on the floor, and he forced her up on her feet as gently as possible, by using both arms to propel her to her feet. "Mione. We can't stay here-"

"But, Ron-"

"He wouldn't want you to die-" Fred paused as he ducked a red jet of light that had flown so close to his head. "And we both know that-" he said, his voice catching. "Come on. I'll cover you," he said, and reached a hand out towards her.

She hesitated briefly, and then took his hand in hers, intertwining their fingers. He smiled at her tightly, and her heart ached; oh, how he was willing to be brave for both of them. "Come on then," he repeated urgently, and tugged her forward with him.

The two of them followed Harry and Percy as they weaved through the crowd, still hand in hand, and their wands in their other hand. Several times Hermione just wanted to stop running and just give up - what was the use? Ron was gone. Her _best friend_, the one who mattered to her the most... Tears built up in her eyes again, and she wiped them away furiously.

As if he could sense her about to give up on him, Fred squeezed her hand. "Come on, 'Mione, we're almost there, _please_..." It hurt him just looking at her; she, who was so strong, so witty and confident, had just been reduced to a crying mess who couldn't think clearly.

And they finally made it into a corridor that was quiet, for once. Harry was obviously avoiding looking at Ron's body, trying to hold it in and be strong for all of them. Hermione felt it; she couldn't possibly go on, not when she was hurting this badly, not when she felt like she was about to faint...

"Hermione!"

(*)

"_Ron!_'

Hermione jolted out of bed, her eyes wet with fresh tears. It took her a while for her breathing to slow down; it always did. She clutched at the place where her heart was... It always hurt so bad when she remembered him dying. She had dreams about him, nightmares about him... But the nightmares were the ones that hurt her the most.

It had been two weeks since the war had ended. Everyone was back at the Burrow, just like good old times; Harry practically lived here now, and Hermione was staying here while she tried to look for her parents. No one actually had any plan on what was going to happen next, so it seemed as if everyone was in standby mode for the time being. They had finished the castle repairs, which had taken two weeks, even with magic, and everything was supposed to be back to normal by now.

_Everything was supposed to stop hurting._ Hermione sighed, and hugged her knees closer to her chest, feeling the hot tears trickling down her face.

_No... It was never going to stop hurting._

(*)

"She's been a mess ever since, Harry, you'd have to be incredibly dense not to notice it," Ginny was saying downstairs, as she got plates to set the table for breakfast.

"I _know_ she's been a mess," Harry said, and got the plates from her, as he put them on the table. "But I don't know what to _do_."

Ginny sighed, and sat down on a chair. "No one _knows_ what to do, Harry..." she murmured, and her eyes watered up. She hurriedly wiped her eyes. "Hermione can't even talk, mum and dad feel so _empty_, Percy just sits around and stares at the walls, and the twins are just so quiet..."

Harry sighed. He knew Ginny was trying to be strong for everyone. Being the youngest, it was just too big of a burden for _anyone_. "C'mere," he said, and opened his arms, as she smiled slightly, stood up, and walked into his arms.

"Thanks, Harry," she said into his shoulder, a few tears escaping from her eyes.

"Mooooooorni-"

"Oh, George, that joke is so old," Ginny said, narrowing her eyes. George, who was just coming into the kitchen, gave her a tired smile.

"Just trying to ease the tension a little bit." He sighed. "Hey, my turn to cook breakfast."

"Thanks, George," Ginny said, and sat down on the chair. "I _hate_ this. I positively hate it."

George was getting the ingredients ready. Harry sat down in the chair across Ginny's. "What d'you hate, Gin?" George asked, cracking open an egg.

"This feeling," she muttered. "I mean, I _know_ R... Ron wouldn't want us to mourn or anything, but I can't help but feel so sad whenever..." Her voice cracked. "We're all becoming people we're not, and it's so bloody hard!"

Harry frowned, and knew that Ginny was correct. Everyone had held up until after the war. Even Hermione had realized that she needed to pull herself together. Mrs. Weasley even killed Bellatrix Lestrange for taunting her about Ron. Even he knew he had to stop thinking about his best friend, even if it were just for that day. But once the war had ended...

Everything was just like a sad, sad movie. They had yet to pick up pace and become almost normal again.

(*)

Fred was just getting out of his room, when he heard, for the first time since the war, Hermione crying. It tugged at his heart for some reason... It had been two weeks and the lovely, witty, fiery Hermione he had known was becoming a shell of a girl. _She must've really loved him_, he thought to himself wistfully, and he sighed.

He paused in front of her door, wondering what he should do next. Fred's hand lay on her doorknob; all he needed to do was open the door, and console her.

All he wanted was to bring her into his arms and hug her so tightly until the pain went away. He just wanted her to smile again, he missed her smile. He wanted her to _talk_, damn it. He wanted to see her eyes light up again. He wanted to wipe the tears away from her eyes, and tell her that everything was going to be alright, and that she shouldn't cry anymore because he was here, and he-

His train of thought broke, and he took his hand away from the doorknob quickly, as if it were on fire. Fred clenched his hands to his sides, sighing.

_It just didn't seem right._

Only George knew how Fred felt about the bushy-haired bookworm... In fact, what he had felt and kept secret for the past 4 years. But from the moment he knew that he wasn't the only Weasley boy to think the world of Hermione, he shut down his feelings; pulled a switch. He would have asked Hermione to the Yule Ball if Ron hadn't been such a bloody undecisive idiot.

And it just felt so _wrong_ to be standing here, taking advantage of his little brother's death by moving on to the girl his brother was crazy for.

Fred stared at her door for another few seconds, and rubbed his face wearily. He heard another shaky sob from inside, and he felt something in him break a little. _Oh, suck it._ He opened the door.

Hermione startled as her door suddenly burst open, quickly rubbing her eyes. She was surprised to see Fred there. Ginny, Harry, or Molly, she wouldn't be surprised to see. But Fred? Hm.

"'Mione..." he said softly, and the way he said it, made her heart ache. He sounded almost like _Ron_.

"Fred," she said shakily. "I'm s-sorry," she said, hurriedly getting up. "It'll be time for breakfast now, right?" she said, shuffling around in her pyjamas. "It's... I haven't been keeping much track of the time, you see-"

She was startled when she felt him hug her from behind, and bring her closer to his chest. "Fred?" she breathed out.

"I just thought you... You needed a hug," he stuttered out, releasing her almost as easily as he had grabbed her.

She turned around and stared at him for a long time. His heart _ached_ when he looked at her. Her eyes were so red and puffy, it looked like she'd been crying for decades. The tear marks down her cheeks seemed permanent, and her nose was just as red. "Thank you," Hermione said shakily. She tried to smile, and only managed to give him a slight half-smile.

"Hermione, I just want you to know that if you need someone to talk to..." he smiled a bit at her. "If you need a few laughs, or somewhat..." he pointed to himself. "You've got me."

This time, the smile on her face reached her eyes, as she replied to him. "I know I do," she said.

"I'll just be downstairs," Fred said, now looking a bit uncomfortable as he realized that Hermione was waiting for him to make his exit so that she could change. "Bye."

"Bye," she said softly, and he winked at her, just as he left her room.

(*)

_**The number of follows and reviews I received for the first chapter absolutely floored me! Thank you very much for the overwhelming support. As a thanks, I added quite a few Fremione moments to this chapter. **_

_**So, stay tuned for more chapters!**_

_**Oh, and shout out to the fans of Snape is the True 4**__**th**__** Marauder. *blows kisses***_


	3. Chapter 3

Meals were subdued; they always were. And that breakfast was not an exception. The twins sat together, quiet and only cracking half-hearted smiles. Molly and Arthur were trying to make small talk, but failing horribly. Percy was looking very distracted as he ate _his_ food... Or tried to. Hermione was on George's left, pushing around the eggs on her plate with a fork. Harry sat down next to her, silently spooning some cereal into his mouth. And Ginny?

Ginny was _seething_.

"Alright, that's it!" Ginny stood up suddenly, her chair falling backwards as she did so. Everyone looked up at her, a bit surprised.

"Ginny..." Molly said, and everyone knew she was trying to sound disapproving, but it just came out as tired and sad.

"No, mum, this has to stop!" Ginny said, crossing her arms. "We've _got_ to be happy again. I swear that Ron's up there thinking we're bloody _idiots_ who can't get on with their lives!" She looked at her family, Harry and Hermione, and she realized that the only ones really listening to her were Harry and Fred. "We've got to _smile_, damn it!" Ginny cried out. "Because I, for one, am sick and tired of us being so sad." Her voice finally broke, as she sat down again. (Harry had righted her chair) "Ron wouldn't want us to be like this," she said, still looking as fiery as usual, even as her eyes glistened with tears.

There was silence.

Arthur sighed. "Ginny's right." He rubbed his face tiredly, and tried smiling. "Ron's probably been swearing at us for the past week, telling us to-"

"To bloody move on," Fred finished Arthur's sentence, grinning.

"Merlin's Pants! Just get over it already..." George said, smiling faintly.

There were faint chuckles around the table, coming from everyone except Molly. "I don't know..." she said softly, and suddenly ran out of the room. Arthur frowned, and ran after her.

"It'll be harder on mum," Percy said matter-of-factly, and then glanced at Hermione. "Of course, for-"

"For all of us," Ginny interjected. Hermione shot her a grateful look. "Of course it'll be hard for all of us."

"Yeah, I move we increase our smiles around the house," Fred said. "It's been too long since the last time George and I exploded something."

"Right you are, brother," George said, clapping Fred on the shoulder. "The world needs the Weasley twins."

Ginny had a wry smile on her face, and for that, Harry was glad. At least some of the happiness was finally rubbing off on her. Now the only one who needed to smile was Hermione. He looked at her, giving her a meaningful glance, and she sighed. "I guess... I guess you're right, Ginny," she croaked out. Obviously embarrassed by how hoarse her voice sounded, she covered her mouth, and went back to pushing her eggs around the plates.

Fred sighed, and looked at Hermione for the longest time.

How he wanted to be the one to make her smile again. He grimaced, and shook his head. _No, Fred. Stop it. _

_Stop wanting something you can't have. _

(*)

It was now four days after everyone had resolved to be happy again. It was _almost_ working, but well, even the twins didn't expect themselves to be back to normal after only three days. Instead, everyone was trying to keep themselves busy, and get back to their jobs, and school, in Ginny's case.

Fred and George were, of course, readying orders for WWW. They planned to be back in business right when the students started shopping for school supplies. Arthur and Percy were getting ready to go back to work at the Ministry. Harry had been talking with Kingsley about the possibility of becoming an Auror, amd Kingsley was more than enthusiastic to weave around the rules a little bit to get Harry into the program. Ginny was, of course, dreading going back to Hogwarts. Ginny knew that it would just be a black hole of remorse all over again, seeing McGonagall, and Slughorn, and Trelawney, and even Flitwick, offering condolences that just brought back even more memories of her brother.

"You'll be fine," Harry said one day, as the two of them sat in the yard. She leaned into his side.

"Hmmm," she said thoughtfully, and looked up. She caught sight of a curtain fluttering, and she frowned. She knew that was Hermione's bedroom. "What's Hermione thinking of doing?"

Harry was speechless, and Ginny sighed. _Men. _"You haven't asked her, haven't you?"

"I just don't know!" Harry protested. "I mean, it's not like she'll, er, speak to me, or anything-" He paused, and looked at Ginny. "Shouldn't that be your job, or something?" He winced as Ginny stared at him, obviously cross.

"Harry, I _know_ I'm a female," Ginny said. "But you're her best friend, and you've known her for seven years. Like Ron. If there's one person she needs to talk to right now, it's you."

(*)

_Knock-knock._

Hermione quickly wiped her eyes as she hid them behind a book she had randomly grabbed from her bedside. "C-Come in!" she said, hoping she sounded normal enough.

A soft laugh sounded from the door. "The book's upside down, Hermione. You're not fooling anyone."

She let out a sigh. "Harry..."

Harry entered her room, looking almost cautious. She couldn't blame him. She was wondering, as well, why he had been so distant ever since Ron... Since the war died. She frowned at him. "Before you can say anything, I'd like to... To apologize."

Hermione simply rose an eyebrow at him, and he moved on quickly. "I... I just thought that maybe you didn't want to talk to me, maybe it would be better for you to talk to Ginny or Mrs. Weasley, and I thought you wanted time alone," he said, speeding through his apology. "Ginny just told me now that I was wrong. And I'm sorry." He saw her features soften, her frown nearly disappear. "And if you want to talk, I'm here." He decided then that it was safe for him to sit down on the bed near her, and wait for her to make the next move.

"Thank you," she said, voice hoarse. "I... I accept your apology." It was hard speaking to him, she had so many questions, so much to tell him... She just reached out for him and hugged him. "I miss him so much."

"Me too, Hermione..." Harry said softly, wrapping his arms around her. It was a gesture so familiar to him that he, for once in two weeks, felt like he was turning back to normal. "Me too."

They were silent for a long time, Hermione letting out all the tears she had been trying so hard to keep to herself.

_Grief is better when it's shared._

(*)

"I've decided to go back to Hogwarts and finish my education... Before I decide anything else," Hermione said at breakfast the next morning.

After everyone got over the initial shock of Hermione actually speaking, Molly clapped her hands in a sort of one-two clap. "Well, that's wonderful! You and Ginny'll be classmates!"

Ginny grinned at Hermione eagerly from across the table. "Thank god, someone I can actually talk to. You have to help me study, okay?"

"Of course," Hermione said, smiling wryly at both Harry and Ginny. "And I can do your homework. I'm used to it, anyway."

It hung in the air that Hermione used to do homework for Harry _and Ron_, but Hermione didn't seem as bothered as she would have been a few days prior. There was still hurt in her eyes, yes, but at least it wasn't the mourning everyone was used to.

"Ginny's sure to pass all of her classes with E's, then," George said, faking a pout. "Mum? Can Fred and I go back to Hogwarts, too?" Molly looked absolutely thrilled, until George cackled. "Oh, mum, who do you think you're kidding?"

"Yeah, George and I are great as we are now," Fred said, wrapping an arm around his twin. "Schooling is beneath us, now." He winked at Hermione, who smiled at him.

"Oh, you two," Molly said, shaking her head but smiling, all the least. "I'm glad you've decided to return, Hermione. I thought you would. You seem like the type."

"I need some distraction," Hermione said finally, "And I think Hogwarts is just what I need to lose myself in."

(*)

"A distraction, eh?"

Hermione had finally started on actually reading a book (_Hogwarts: A History. _You could never go wrong with that choice.) when she looked up and saw Fred leaning against her doorway. "You heard what I said earlier," she retorted, and raised the book to her face again.

"Fiery Hermione is back," Fred sang out, and Hermione couldn't help but smile at him over her book. "It's _you_ everyone's been waiting for. It's a miracle!"

"Not _that_ huge of a miracle, Fred," Hermione said lightly, going back to her book. "If it's worth anything, I'm still sad, I just-" She stopped talking, and felt herself choke up a little. "Sorry."

She looked up at Fred, a bit ashamed, but he still smiled easily at her. "We're all the same," he said softly. "But quite frankly, seeing you smiling is better than seeing you with tears running down your face."

Hermione very nearly blushed, and Fred, who had just realized the implication of what he had said, turned beet red. She laughed at the expression on his face; then she suddenly stopped. It was the first time she had laughed in weeks... And it felt absolutely _wonderful._

"Anyway, Hermione. Hogwarts doesn't start for another four months, with the new term and all the mess, and George and I were wondering, since we're short on manpower... If you'd like a 'distraction' of some sort, we're-"

"A job?" she asked him, finally putting down her book and staring straight at him. "Are you offering me a job?"

"I guess you could say that," Fred said finally. "We think Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes is exactly what you need."

It took her a while to make the decision, and when she did, she smiled up at him. "I think so, too."

(*)

_**My chapters are getting shorter and shorter... Ugh! -_- *sighs irritably***_

_**Thanks for all the reviews and everything. *flying kisses and smores* I actually do love the Harry and Hermione moments - friendship wise. I've never shipped Harmony, but I love their friendship. **_

_**And I'm quite happy to have snuck in some Hinny. I think book Ginny is awesome. Really. :3 **_


	4. Chapter 4

"Come on, Hermione, the shop isn't going to wait-"

"Forever, hurry up since we still have loads to do!"

The Weasley family, plus Harry, watched bemusedly as the twins got up, wolfed down their breakfast, and went back upstairs again. Hermione had stumbled down the stairs, ate two slices of toast, and before she knew it, George was descending down the stairs, already dressed, and ushering her back up the stairs. "Come on, Hermione dear," George coaxed her up the stairs, taking her unfinished piece of toast. "You can eat when we get there."

"Wait, I'm starting _today_?" Hermione asked, as George half-pushed her up the stairs. "Fred just talked to me _yesterday_!"

"Well, we realized that with you around now, we'd get loads done. So we thought we might as well start as early as possible!"

Fred appeared suddenly at the top of the stairs to pull her up the remaining few steps. "You've inspired us to work, Hermione, and that's saying something. Now come on, I promise we'll buy you something to eat at Diagon Alley."

"But what about Verity?" A face tickled at Hermione's memories. She _had_ met their assistant, yes, but she hadn't really spoken to the girl.

"Verity, sadly, won't be joining us for a while," Fred said, looking a tiny bit remorseful. "She was tortured by some Snatchers about two months ago, and she's still recovering in Mungo's."

Hermione clapped a hand over her mouth, horrified. "Oh, goodness! Will she be alright?"

"Nothing that the magic of healing can do," George piped up from downstairs, subtly reminding Hermione that the twins were actually _rushing_. She sighed, got her towel and all the things she needed, and hurried off to the bathroom.

Once Fred was satisfied that Hermione was actually _moving_ around inside, he went back downstairs to make some tea for her, so she'd have something warm in her stomach while she worked with them. "I think it's cute, what you two are doing for her," Ginny said from behind him, and Fred turned around momentarily, and smiled at his little sister. The dining room had emptied, so it was just the two of them talking.

"It's nothing, really. I just thought she needed something to do and-"

"You fancy her."

Fred all but dropped the kettle abruptly as Ginny delivered the blow, smirking as she did so. "What - where did you... No!"

"Oh, come off it, Fred," Ginny grinned for a while, but then she suddenly turned serious. "She needs someone like you."

"Well, I can't exactly be the person she needs, can I?" Fred asked Ginny rhetorically. "I'm not the right person to pull her out of her mourning stage. Oh, right, and let's just forget the fact that I'm her deceased boyfriends _brother_, and there's no way that's going to work."

"Says who?"

"It doesn't seem right," Fred insisted. "Ron is my _brother_."

"And he's..." Ginny's voice softened. "He's not exactly here to tell you that Hermione needs to be happy again. D'you really reckon she'll be single for the rest of her life?"

"She won't," Fred said, although he sounded like he was trying to convince himself. "Hermione's _very_ pretty... She's beautiful," Fred said, his voice trailing off. He saw Ginny smiling up at him from the corner of his eyes, and he shook his head. "Besides. Why does it have to be me? There's Krum. He probably still likes her. And that McLaggen fellow-"

"Hermione would rather date a troll than date McLaggen again, although technically McLaggen _is_ a troll..." Ginny smirked.

"Basically, she'll find someone who isn't me, okay? Not me," Fred said with a finality, just as the kettle started whistling.

Ginny stared at him thoughtfully. "You're wrong," Ginny said firmly, and left him alone in the kitchen.

"Says who?" Fred threw the question she asked him back at her, and she stuck her head back in the kitchen.

"Says the girl who _knows_ that you're just the remedy she needs," she shot back, and disappeared.

(*)

"Ah! Our newest worker arrives," George said as Hermione stepped down the stairs, dressed in jeans, and a lavender sweter over a white blouse.

"I didn't know what to wear-"

"Oh, psh," George replied, standing up. "There's no dress code at WWW."

Hermione eyed him in his plain jeans and dirty blue t-shirt. "Obviously."

"I'm only dressed like this because I'm in charge of the dirty work," George defended himself. "You and Fred'll be working together."

"The two of us will be attached to the hip for a week, Hermione, if you don't mind," Fred said, stepping in and handing her a mug of tea.

"Thank you, Fred," Hermione said, surprised, and decidedly slightly pleased.

"Where's mine?"

"Oh, you had your cup already," Fred said dismissively. "And it was no problem, Hermione."

"Now, I think we should head off. It's only the first of many busy days to come!" George said, and approached the fireplace.

Hermione suddenly felt very nervous, and she stared down at her cup, remembering those nonsense lessons that Trelawney had taught, showing them how to read tea leaves, or grounds, or whatever... She smiled faintly, but then remembered that Ron and Harry had absolutely hated Divination...

_Ron..._ She felt her heart suddenly start to shut down again, memories flooding her as she gripped the cup in her hands so hard that her knuckles turned white.

"Hermione."

She breathed in sharply; something warm was holding her hands around the cup, but it wasn't the tea spilling over the edges, it was Fred's hands. He smiled at her tentatively. "Come on, George's gone now."

"Oh." Hermione said stiffly, shaking her head. "Right. Sorry," she said, and readied herself. "Do I say Weasley's Wizard Wheezes? Or your address?"

"Either is fine," Fred answered, and she nodded, placing her tea on the table before reaching for a handful of Floo Powder. "You're finished with your tea?" She had barely touched it; maybe taken a sip or two.

"I'm fine," Hermione said, smiling reassuringly at him, as she threw the Floo Powder into the fireplace. "Weasley's Wizard Wheezes!"

(*)

"Whoa, there," George said, catching Hermione around the armpits as she nearly fell out of the fireplace. She blushed, and stood up straight, dusting at her sweater. "How long has it been since you've used the Floo Network?"

"I... I just tripped on some coal stepping out of the fireplace, is all," Hermione said defensively, as George bit back a smile. Suddenly, the fire behind them suddenly glowed green, and Fred stepped out of the fireplace and right into Hermione, making her lose her balance again. On instinct, George stepped out of the way, while Fred just plowed straight into her, making her cry out as both of them toppled to the floor, face first. George muffled a laugh behind his hand.

"I am _so_ sorry, Hermione!" Fred scrambled off of her, getting up as Hermione tried to catch her breath. "I didn't see you-"

"No," Hermione wheezed out, turning over. "I didn't," she coughed, "Step out of the way in time."

Still looking a bit unsure as to whether she blamed him for anything, he held out a hand. "Can I help you up, then?"

She smiled up at him, and reached for his hand as he pulled her up. "Thank you." She finally got the chance to look around and WWW clearly, and saw that it pretty much looked the same as it did the last time she had been here, minus the people, fireworks, blinking lights, and sounds. The shelves were noticeably lacking in merchandise, and she looked questionably at the twins.

"We were told that people looted the place when we closed up," Fred nodded towards the door, and she realized that it was broken. "Shame, really, but there's nothing we can do about it."

"Except order new things and start again!" George said optimistically. She couldn't help but smile at the twins, who were so willing to get back on track and focus on the thing they loved the most in life.

"Well, then let's get started," Hermione said, looking at the twins and crossing her arms over her chest. "What are we doing today?"

"_I_ will be working on some of the lifting, like I said earlier," George said. "A delivery is going to come in for some Extendable Ears, fireworks, and boxing telescopes."

"You will be on inventory duty, since we need some neat handwriting on this legal pad, and I will be asking you every once in a while for the list, since I'll be talking business with suppliers." Fred clapped Hermione on the shoulder. "Are you up for it?"

Hermione knew that the twins knew she absolutely _loved_ taking note of things, so she nodded vigorously and smiled. "I'll do my best."

They started working at exactly nine o'clock in the morning.

(*)

Her 'best' turned out to be finishing the whole shop's inventory just as eight o'clock came around, stunning both George and Fred. She had quite a system when it came to counting and writing, ocassionally using her wand to lift some things out of the way. It was simple to her, when she tried explaining it to the twins, but to them, it was quite the complex thing.

"I had expected her to finish a shelf or five, not the entire store," George whispered to Fred as they looked over her nearly seven rolls of parchment, in tiny but neat handwriting. Fred nodded slowly, amazed.

"I think her brain needed to be busy again after all those weeks of inactivity," Fred remarked, noticing that the stocks that _were_ still here had also been arranged neatly on their shelves.

"Looks like we're going to have to come up with more things to keep her busy then, eh?" George said.

"Speaking of which, where is the hard working lady?" Fred asked, noting her absence. "Wasn't she just here?"

"Hermione!" George called out, his voice echoing against the walls. Worried a bit, the two wandered around the shop, looking for her.

In the end, it was Fred who finally found her at the foot of the stairs leading to the second floor. She had probably sat down on the steps, feeling tired, and then nodding off entirely. Even Hermione Granger had a limit. "Found her, George," he called out, and crouched down on the floor next to her.

She looked incredibly peaceful just sleeping there, looking more relaxed and easy than she had in ages.

"So, who wants to carry her home?" George asked his twin rhetorically, clapping him on the back. "No takers? Well it looks like it's going to have to be you, brother."

Fred rolled his eyes at George. "George-"

"What, so you're going to leave her here, then?" George shook his head sadly. "For shame brother, for shame."

"Shut up, George," Fred said, and sighed, looking at Hermione.

He prayed she wouldn't wake up while she was in his arms.

(*)

Fred had finally decided on carrying her bridal style, it was comfortable for him, and quite frankly, it was so comforting to hold her in his arms like this. It had taken them a while to get both Hermione and Fred into the fireplace at the same time. (and it was a miracle that she didn't so much as move during the entire Floo network experience) They arrived home to find Percy and Arthur sitting down, having some dinner. Percy had a slight smile on his face as he noticed Hermione all nestled up and cuddly in Fred's arms. "I take it the first day of work went well?" Arthur asked.

"We finished inventory of the whole store, thanks to 'Mione," Fred said, smiling down at her.

Percy made an approving noise in the back of his throat. "She'll make a good Ministry worker, she will."

"She probably will end up in the Ministry," Fred mused, and smiled again. "I just have to tuck her in, and I'll be back down."

"Alright, Fred," Arthur said.

Fred carefully walked up the stairs, navigating and angling himself so that her feet or head wouldn't hit the walls. It was a harder task than he had anticipated, but it was fine to him. He finally reached her room, and settled her down on the bed, tucking her in. A wave of nostalgia hit him as he remembered that he used to do this for Ginny. Suddenly, she moved around in her sleep, and her eyebrows creased. "Ron..." she whimpered in her sleep, clutching at the empty air.

His heart _ached_ for her, and he felt his own eyebrows crease as well, as he reached out a hand and smoothed down her hair, making comforting noises. "Shh... It'll be okay, Hermione. It'll be okay."

(*)

_**Weekly updates become me. I'm starting to like this schedule of mine. I think I can actually keep this up! **_

_**Trying to keep the Fremione action moving like the title; Slow and Steady, but hey, I can't wait to type out their first kiss. :D **_

_**As always, thanks for all the support and reviews. Here are some hugs and cuddles for you. **_


	5. Chapter 5

"Hermione!"

Fred and George called out for her as they climbed downstairs. They had been working with her for over two weeks, and even though she had finished inventory, they had realized that she could do loads of other things, such as talk with suppliers, tidy up every once in a while, remind them of things and appointments they'd forgotten, and even check up on their Wizard Taxes every now and then.

"She's like our own PA," George had whispered to Fred. The latter had elbowed his twin in the side.

Anyways, that morning, the twins were ready to go to work; in about five more days, if everything went according to plan, they'd re-open.

"She's been gone for an hour," Ginny replied, as the twins reached the kitchen.

"What?" The twins did a double-take; Fred had half a slice of bread in his mouth, and George nearly spilled tea all over himself.

"Yeah," she said dismissively, smiling at them. "Said something about wanting to get stuff done early today."

"Early?" Fred checked his watch. "It's eight in the morning. She must have been up with the birds."

"Earli_er_," Ginny said. She chuckled. "Two weeks on the job, and she already has a better work attitude than the actual owners."

Fred finished his slice of toast and walked briskly over to the fireplace. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?" George asked him. "Merlin's Pants, I'm not even done eating. _You're_ not done eating."

"I don't want her alone in the shop by herself," he replied sincerely, and grabbed a handful of Floo Powder. "Weasley's Wizard Wheezes!"

George and Ginny watched their brother disappear into the fireplace with faint smiles on their faces. "I'll give him 30 minutes."

Ginny grinned. "So... How's Hermione?"

"Drowning in paperwork. Although I think it's a good thing for her. Better than drowning in her grief," George sighed, and sipped from his cup.

One month since Ron had died. It was amazing how time flew by. Fred and George kept a close watch on their newest co-worker, and they were liking how she seemed to be getting into a better mood. Of course, they had no idea if what she was doing was just a facade or a real positive reaction to 'moving on', but they had all agreed on one thing: It was better than her crying and moping around in her room.

"And is Fred making any progress?" Ginny asked, mostly out of curiosity.

It took George a while to answer. "I don't know," he said slowly. "It's so obvious that he wants to make a move, but he just won't because he thinks Ron is still in between the two of them. As for Hermione, I don't know what she feels about Fred. Wish I knew. Maybe I could knock some sense into the two of them-"

"Oh, don't you dare," Ginny warned him. "Unlike everyone's love stories, this one is something that needs to be worked out by itself. Hermione needs to accept it herself, if she thinks Fred is the one for her. And the same goes for Fred. He has to realize that if he really wants to help her, he needs to stay strong."

George looked at his sister for a long time. "Being the observer is a very painful thing."

"Tell me about it."

(*)

Fred immediately found Hermione setting up a stand of Extendable Ears right next to the Dungbombs. "Alphabetizing our products. We've never even thought about that, we just slapped 'em all on the shelves."

After Hermione had gotten over the initial shock of Fred sneaking up on her, she looked up at him and smiled. "You probably gave Verity an aneurysm."

Fred merely grinned and sat down next to her. "You know... You don't have to wake up this early to get your job done."

She sighed, and got up to open up another box of Extendable Ears. "It's alright, Fred."

"Look, you already leave the shop at ten in the evening, with us... I'd feel bad if you collapsed on the job or something... Mum would have our heads," he added as an afterthought, shuddering.

She made her way back to the shelf she had been setting up. After setting down a box of Extendable Ears on the ground, she sat down on the ground in front of him, letting out a huge breath. "I'm fine. I'm okay." Her eyes crinkled as she smiled at him. "Thanks, Fred. Really."

He saw something in her eyes. Maybe it was the way she said the last few sentences as if she were trying to convince her own self, more than Fred. Maybe it was the way she looked to the side, as if she didn't want him to see right through her. No matter what it was, he knew she was lying. "You're lying," he stated bluntly, and she looked at him, surprised. This wasn't the Fred she had come to know.

"What-"

"I told you once that if you needed someone to talk to, I'd be here. And I'm here. So tell me the real reason, 'Mione," he said softly, pleading. "Tell me why you're working too hard."

She adjusted her position on the floor, crossing her legs, and putting her hands in her lap. It was silent for a long time, but Fred just stared at her continuously until she gave in. "Because I need to." Hermione bowed down her head, trying to squeeze back the tears. "I appreciate that you've given me something useful to do, Fred, but it still..." she looked up at him, and the tears in her eyes made his heart squeeze painfully. "It still hurts." She inhaled sharply. "I know it's been a month. But... I don't know... I don't know how to make it stop _hurting_."

Without warning, he went closer to her and leaned over her, wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace. "Oh, 'Mione..." he said, smoothing down her hair with one hand. "Just let it out."

And let it out she did. With her face pressed against his shoulder, she cried. She didn't know how long the two of them stayed there on the floor, wrapped in each others arms, but she knew she was grateful for it. "I'm sorry," he murmured in her ear, once the racking sobs had stopped. She stiffened, wondering what he was talking about.

"Fred?"

"I, er... We thought that it would be good to lose yourself in something for a couple of months. It just turned out into you hiding it when you're in front of us while-"

"No," she said insistently, and drew out of his embrace. "No. I should apologize. I seem ungrateful, but no. It's... It's helping me. Really, it is." She hugged herself. "I've never been good with deaths. Especially people close to my heart."

Fred wondered if it was wrong for him to feel a pang of hurt when she said it, but he plowed on. "If you want to quit, Hermione, George and I will be happy to give you a break."

She shook her head. "Can we have grieving sessions, instead?" she said, meaning it as a half-joke.

"That's an idea," Fred said, raising his eyebrows. "We should meet. Every week. And we'll talk, and I'll try to make you laugh or smile, and you can work and move on."

"That's... That's actually a good idea, Fred," Hermione said, both surprised and happy. "It's _sweet_." She smiled at him, and it suddenly dawned on Fred how close the two of them were sitting together, and how she had just been in his arms a few minutes before... His face turned as red as his hair, and he stood up abruptly.

"You aren't the only one who needs it," he said, and offered a hand to her. "Why don't we help each other?" He winked.

As she let him take her hand and help her up (just as George was coming in, too), she realized that Fred had been the only one in a long time to make her really feel better. He gave her one last smile as he turned around to greet his brother, and she watched his retreating back, a lingering smile on her face.

(*)

_**Thanks as always for clicking this story! So Hermione's slowly starting to fall for Fred's charms. Oooh. **_

_**One thing that's befuddling me is that there are lots of you who have favorited and followed this story, but I've only gotten a few reviews. I want to know what you guys think about my writing style, if I've made any mistakes, or if there's anything you absolutely hate/love. **_

_**On another note, I am very grateful that there are people even READING this fic, as I thought I wouldn't really be any good at it.**_

_**So, see you next week, buggers! Here are some hugs and marshmallows and chocolate. **_


	6. Chapter 6

It was three days until the official re - opening of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, and it was just another normal, busy day for the trio. Fred and George were debating on what products should be displayed at the front of the store, and Hermione was wordlessly casting locomotor spells as various joke and novelty items and cleaning products flew around the room. At around 11 in the morning, the phone rang.

The phone ringing didn't signify anything out of the ordinary for any of them. Fred and George were already trained on how to use Muggle communication, thanks to Hermione. But it was still _a call_, and the twins always felt a trill of pride when it rang. Maybe it was because it meant that WWW was getting back on track, and soon. And Fred especially loved it when Hermione answered, since it made them sound so _professional._

Which is why they let her answer it, and she rolled her eyes at them before picking it up. "It wouldn't hurt to answer it at least once, you know," Hermione said, pursing her lips.

"We like it when _you_ answer, Hermione," they answered in chorus, and she merely stuck her tongue out at them as she finally picked up the phone.

"Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, good morning! How may I help you?" she said, and winking at the twins while she waited for a response.

George grinned at his brother, who so obviously sighed when she winked at him. "And how is it going with the lovely Miss Granger?"

"It's... Er..."

"Moving too slowly for your pace, eh, brother?"

Fred side-glanced at his brother. "_George._ She's still... She still thinks about Ron every day. I can't just walk over and say, Hey! Want to go grab a butterbeer?"

"And why not?" Disgruntled, Fred turned away, and muttered something about 'Ron', 'disrespect', and 'she doesn't seem ready'. "Oh, shut it," George smirked, shoving his brother in the side. "You _do_ know she'll never be ready and move on until she knows _someone's _waiting for her, right? How can she 'move on' when there's no one to move on _to_?"

Fred didn't reply to his brother right away, which is how George knew he had finally gotten through to Fred. "You have a point."

"Ginny and I've been trying to tell you that for the past few weeks, Freddie," George said, clapping Fred on the back. "Make your move."

"And that was Maggie Crescent," Hermione said, cutting off Fred before he could say anything.

"Maggie Crescent. Maggie. Maggie, Maggie, Maggie..." George said, trying to remember who Maggie Crescent was. "Care to refresh my memory?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Owner of Crescent Companies, who is the supplier for about 60 percent of your merchandise!"

"I knew that," Fred bragged. "Oh, Hermione. To think you would get this far. Knowing the names of all our suppliers, and even their delivery boys."

"It actually is pretty simple, if you'd just start talking," Hermione said, a half-smile on her face.

"Simple for _the brightest witch of her time_," George said dramatically, and Hermione hit his shoulder, grinning.

She realized how easy it was to be herself around the twins, and wondered why it had only taken her now to notice it. They were loud, and rowdy, but they still treated her like a princess. And despite treating her like a princess, they were still unafraid of teasing her, or playing pranks on her. It was a very complex relationship, once that she liked to leave be.

In their own way, they were starting to help her feel more at home, and back to normal. Ever since she and Fred had had that talk a few days ago, it felt like the weight on her shoulders had lessened. _Fred..._ Her eyes locked onto the twin she had been thinking about, and he shot her a quick smile and wink.

Hermione smiled back, and blushed a bit, and turned around briskly. _Oh goodness, I hope neither of them caught that_, she thought to herself. Even though it was obvious that the twins were identical, she couldn't help but be drawn to Fred more. Days and weeks of time together - most of these times were _alone, _mind you - were making her feel all warm and fuzzy.

It was a bit like what she had felt with Ron, but somehow different. She sighed impatiently. Why must anything that had Fred involved be so difficult for her to understand?

"Hermione?"

She jumped; he had caught her by surprise. "Yes, Fred?" she said, steadying her heartbeat before turning around to face him. When she finally did turn around, she was surprised to see him blushing.

"Well. Er, Hermione."

"Yes?" she said, after a considerably long pause.

"I was just wondering if... How do I say this," Fred muttered the last part to himself.

George, who was listening to the two of them, sighed, and put his head in his hands. "Come on, get on with it," he hissed through his teeth.

"D'you wanna grab lunch, or something?" Fred blurted out, his face betraying how nervous he _really_ felt.

"Lunch?" Hermione repeated the last word slowly, a slow smile appearing on her face. Was Fred Weasley actually... Oh, she had to make sure, first. "With George?"

"No, er, George said he'd rather stay here. And I guess you're pretty hungry, 'Mione, so..." _Oh, Fred Weasley, why does she make you so nervous? You're the one who asked Angelina Johnson to the Yule Ball on a simple whim back in 6__th__ year! And now youre basically just choking to death in front of her!_ Fred ranted in his head, sure that he was going mad. "Oh, just forget what I said," Fred said, steadying himself. "'Mione, lunch date? Er, please?"

She blushed, but it was a nice blush. One of warmness, and lots of tingly feelings. _So this _is_ going to be a date,_ Hermione mused to herself. She found herself smiling at Fred, but her mouth unable to form legit words.

_Hermione Jean Granger. Are you seriously ready to take the next step? Are you willing to just throw everything away and say yes? Are you ready to forget Ron? Because you know that once you say yes, there's no turning back. You're either going to have a happily ever after with him, or break his heart. So choose. _She squeezed her eyes shut, knowing that this was one of the other more important decisions she'd make after Ron's death.

Fred was attractive, no doubt about it. He was tall, made her smile and laugh, and knew how to hold her when she was crying. There was a certain twinkle in his eyes that could make her smile in an instant. But there was so much _Ron_ in him, that it physically hurt her sometimes.

And no matter how hard she tried to deny it, she knew that the more time she spent with the Weasley twins, the more likely she was going to fall in love with Ron's older brother. Or at least form some sort of physical attraction with him.

_Are you ready to forget Ron?_

She had been silent for such a long time that Fred was wondering if he'd made the right choice, asking her a month after Ron's death. "'Mione," he started saying, but she held up a hand, indicating for him to stop.

"Alright," she said softly, he was wondering if he had heard her correctly.

"Say that again?" Fred asked her, leaning down.

"Yes. Okay. I accept," Hermione said, her face red.

_No turning back now,_ her thoughts taunted her, but as he smiled down at her, obviously relieved, Hermione couldn't help but feel really happy inside, as well.

(*)

_**Wow. What a short chapter. Such short dialogue. But this is very important to me, a very important transition in between chapters. Hermione has finally given in, and will be going on a date with our beloved prankster by the next chapter! **_

_**Thanks for all the reviews, guys! Don't stop; really. Reviews help me keep on doing what you guys think are great, and stop doing what you guys think should stop. So keep those reviews coming, please! :D **_

_**See you next week! *tosses attractive actors and actresses at all of you***_


	7. Chapter 7

_Don't make a fool of yourself, Weasley. Pranking is second nature to you. Of course it is. But don't make a bloody fool of yourself, so help me-_

_Don't overthink it. It's just a friendly lunch date! Of course. It's not like the two of you are going to get married or anything. Argh! Didn't I just say not to overthink anything?! _

Hermione smiled nervously at Fred, who was also smiling nervously. As George looked at the two of them from inside WWW, he sighed, rubbing his face with both of his hands. The two had been standing outside the store for at least ten minutes, half-heartedly suggesting places and then saying, 'Wherever _you_ want to go is fine with me!' and replying, 'No, no, wherever _you_ want to eat!' and then, smiling like two idiots.

"Just _go_ to the bloody pub near the Apothecary!" George roared at them from inside WWW. Fred's ears practically twitched, and George knew his twin had heard him through the glass. You know, twin telepathy, and all that stuff.

"Er, how about the bl- the pub near the Apothecary?" Fred suggested, shrugging as he did so.

"Oh, wherever is fine, Fred!" Hermione blurted out almost a bit too quickly.

"But if you're not okay with it-"

"Oh, for the love of Merlin..." George groaned, and opened the door, leaning his head out. "Lunch'll be over in thirty minutes, so if you want a proper date, then you'll get a move on. There's a new pub by the Apothecary, and they serve really good Muggle style food. Well, it's kind of a pub mixed in with a cafe, because they serve cookies and pastries along with some savory food. Ginny says that you should really order the steak. It's to die for." He knew he was babbling like some sort of Muggle commercial, but he just wanted Hermione and Fred _out of there_.

"What... What's it called, then?" Hermione said, trying to sound in control.

"Lumos," George said, an air of mystery around his voice. "I heard it's great. _Date worthy_."

"Okay, okay, I get it," Fred said hastily. "Let's go over and check on it." He grinned, and forcibly turned Hermione on her heels. "Bye, Georgie."

George spent a few couple seconds watching them walk awkwardly to the Apothecary... Or so they thought. "The Apothecary is the other direction, lovebirds."

(*)

Whatever awkward air that had surrounded the two of them earlier dissipated the time they reached Lumos. "Oh, it's _beautiful_," Hermione breathed out.

"Wow," Fred said, looking up at the most elegant looking 'pub' that had ever been in Diagon Alley. From that moment on, both Fred and Hermione decided to call it a restaurant. The front of the store had an impressive, navy blue exterior, which was so dark that it looked black. The corners and edges of the building had tinges of silver on them, and the roof, which wasn't a traditional roof, had lilting, curving tiles that were silver, as well.

"Well, _that's_ something," Fred stated, letting out an impressed whistle. He glanced at Hermione, who was still staring up at the signage; an elegant script that spelled out _Lumos_, with a star taking the place of the 'o'. He smiled down at her, and offered his elbow to her. "Shall we?"

Hermione jumped, as if she had forgotten that Fred was still there. She stared at his elbow for a while, and then she took it; tentatively but firmly. "We shall."

He stepped forward and opened the doors, which were elegantly crafted, navy blue double doors with silver handles. Hermione inhaled sharply as they entered Lumos. Inside, it didn't seem like it was high noon. Whatever darkness that was painted on the outside, was applied to the inside. The floor was wooden, giving the whole restaurant a homey, yet high edge taste to it. Tables which were either booths, or circular tables, had whitish silver table cloths. The centerpiece of each table was a silver rose, of all things. But it was the ceiling that held Fred and Hermione in awe.

The ceiling had been painted what looked an even darker shade of navy blue, almost black. But what made it stand out were the little dots that looked like stars, twinkling every once in a while. It didn't look like the ceiling that Hogwarts had, it just looked like an impressive, dotted sky. The thing was, even Hermione wasn't sure if this was regular lighting or magic, and that was saying something.

"Oh, hi!" Fred and Hermione brought their heads back down to the ground, and settled on a girl who looked as if she were Hermione's age. Her hair was long, black, and wavy, though it was tied in a high ponytail. She was slightly chubby, but it didn't look that obvious since she was tall. Her skin was somewhat the color of a very pale brown, and her chocolate brown eyes twinkled warmly at them. She wore a simple white uniform, with an apron over her waist. "You're a couple of new faces."

"Yeah, we heard about this place from my sister, Ginny," Fred said, smiling courteously at their host.

"Oh, you're Ginny's brother!" She seemed positively delighted at the fact. "Harry and Ginny are regulars here!"

"Funny how we didn't know about that," Fred quipped to Hermione, who merely elbowed him in the side.

"Excuse my manners," the waitress said, smiling shyly. "I'm Kaitlin. I'm head waitress here. I think I know the _perfect_ table for you two here at _Lumos_."

All of the stars on the ceiling suddenly brightened, but not by much. It was just like a simple twinkling of the stars, although it didn't go unnoticed by Hermione. "What was that?" Hermione asked, eyes on the ceiling again.

"The stars?" Kaitlin asked. "Well, lumos," the lights twinkled. "Is so obviously a spell, right? And sometimes, wizards and witches can cause wandless magic. So the owner enchanted the lights so that anytime the word is uttered, the lights would twinkle like stars."

"May I try?" Hermione asked, suddenly very curious. Kaitlin nodded. "Lumos!" Hermione said in a low whisper.

The lights twinkled.

"That will never grow old," Fred commented. "We should do that for WWW, only with fireworks every time someone buys something."

The look on Hermione's face silenced him, but he still kept a grin on his face.

"Alright, so you two follow me. Corner booth it is," Kaitlin chirped, and motioned to them. "Okay, so are you Fred or George?"

"Fred," he replied, inclining his head.

"Oh, I should have guessed," Kaitlin said airily, her voice carrying back to them. "Ginny told me that Fred was the one head over heels in -"

"So, who owns this spectacular place?" Fred interrupted their waitress, trying to ignore the blossoming blush on his date's face.

Kaitlin shot him a sly glance. "My family owns the place. Mum and Dad thought they should brighten Diagon Alley up after the war with a neat addition. Is it working?"

"Quite," Hermione said, smiling. "It's beautiful, Kaitlin."

"Thank you!" she beamed, and waved them towards a table. "Here it is!" She pointed them towards a booth in the corner. "What'll your orders be?" she chirped, after the two had slipped into the booth. Fred and Hermione both sat at opposite sides of the booth, smiling a bit at each other uncertainly.

Kaitlin sighed happily as she waited for them to order. _Those two are so cute together!_

Fred looked at Hermione, motioning for her to go first. "Oh, uhm... Why don't you decide for us?" Hermione shrugged, and smiled across at Fred for confirmation.

"Yeah, I'm guessing the owners' daughter would know the special things to order." Fred grinned, and Kaitlin nodded, smiling enthusiastically.

"I know just the thing! Alright, it'll be out in fifteen."

"She's chipper," Hermione said, smiling. "I like her."

"She has that aura. I bet she gets along with Ginny quite well," Fred said, smiling with a far-off expression on his face.

Both of them were silent, watching as the stars above them twinkled every once in a while.

"'Mione-"

"Fred-"

Both of them broke off, and they laughed, albeit a bit awkwardly. "Ladies first," Fred said, offering a hand in her direction.

"Well, alright," Hermione said begrudgingly. "Look, Fred... Thank you for being so nice to me. Really. I know... I know that it's hard dealing with someone who bursts into tears every other day, and I just want to apologize for-"

"What? No," Fred said, eyes nearly popping open. "Don't! I... I like being here for you. I really do." Hermione frowned, and before she could say anything, Fred reached out for her hand, holding it tightly. She tensed; this was the first time he had openly done anything like this. "That's why I asked you to lunch. Because I-"

Her heart couldn't possibly beat any faster, especially when his thumb was running circles around her knuckles. "You don't-"

"And _heeeeeere_ is your food!" Kaitlin appeared all of the sudden, a tray full of sandwiches and two tall glasses of what looked like chocolate shakes. Fred and Hermione jumped, their hands drawing apart. "Hey, was I interrupting anything?" she asked, looking genuinely horrified.

"Oh, no, no," Hermione said, shaking her head so fast her brown waves were flying everywhere. "This looks wonderful, Kaitlin. Really."

Fred sighed, and placed his head into his hands.

(*)

"Oh, it's so _bright_ outside," Hermione commented the minute they exited Lumos, tummies full, but the awkwardness still present. She shielded her eyes with her hand. "We kind of overstepped George's thirty minutes, so I guess we better hurry."

The two of them brisk walked towards WWW. Fred couldn't help but wonder if he had ruined the whole thing; if she really _wasn't_ ready, and he was just forcing himself on her. Hermione, on the other hand, was wondering if she was just getting paranoid. She had to get out in the world sometime, right?

After a couple of streets and stores, they finally reached their destination. Slowing down, they paused just outside of the store. Fred sighed. "'Mione... Alright, my time to talk first. Is that okay with you?"

Hermione smiled lightly, and nodded. "Yeah, okay."

"Look, I'm sorry. I'm pushing you. I'm... If you want to move on in the world, it should be your choice, not mine. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Fred let it all out in one go, as Hermione watched him.

"Well, for all it's worth, Fred, I'm sorry too. I panicked. And I shouldn't be hurting you like this. It is being unfair on your part, and I do believe that I should at least give you another chance." She blushed, the red coloring on her cheeks reaching her ears.

It took Fred a while to process what she said, and when he finally did, he lit up like the end of his wand after uttering 'Lumos'. "So... That's saying yes to another lunch date I haven't even asked you on yet?" he teased, and winked.

Hermione turned even more red, if possible. "Fred! Y-You know what I meant."

He grinned, his heart at ease. "I know, I know." He inhaled. After hesitating only a few moments, he walked a few steps closer, and put his hands gently on the top of her shoulders. "Thank you for giving me another chance. I won't bloody screw this up. And I'll be here for you, and not be an idiot. Okay?"

She bowed her head, biting her lips. Then she looked up at him and smiled. "Okay."

After staring down at her for what seemed like forever, he smiled back at her, and leaned down to press his lips gently against her forehead. Hermione's eyes popped open in surprise; both at the spontaneity, and at the sudden warmth that flooded her senses when she felt his lips on her skin.

"I'll make you smile again, 'Mione." He chuckled. "I promise."

She leaned back again, and smiled at him. "You're very nearly there." Hermione winked at him, and extracted herself slowly from his hands. "George is glaring at us from inside. Uhm, I'll go in first."

"Why don't we go in together?" he said, smiling at her.

Hermione hugged herself, as if trying to assure herself that she was really doing this, and smiled. "Lets."

(*)

_**Let's start off the author's note with a huge apology. I had the worst writer's block. Funny, within these exactly two weeks of no updates, I was able to attend a creative writer's workshop. And the author giving the workshop said that writers get writer's block because they set high expectations for whatever they're writing.**_

_**And seeing as this is Fred and Hermione's first date, I can bet you the standards were high. So after 2 weeks of just staring at a blank word document, I just started to have fun with it! **_

_**That was my excuse, so yeah. I hope you guys are at least kinda happy? :) **_

_**Read and review guys. *sends you flying kisses***_

_**PS Extra cookies and chocolates for you if you caught the other fandom reference in here! :D I bet y'all can get it. **_


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